Water heater and purifier



Aug. 19, 1930. H,-E. Mor-FAT 1,773,195

wATEE HEATER AND' PUEIEIEE Filed Maron 2e. 192s 2 sheets-sheet 1 attorney WWE ug. 19, 1930. H, E, MQFFAT l 1,773,195

WATER HEATER AND PURIFIER Filed March 2e, 192s 2 sheets-sheet 2 Henry f. Moffat anomali Patented Aug. 19, 1930 UNITED starts PATENT OFFC WATER HEATER AND PURIFIER Application filed March 26, 1926.

rl`his invention relates to an apparatus for heating and purifying water, and relates particularly to a water heater and purifier adapted to use exhaust steam as the heating medium.

lt is an object of the invention to provide a water heating apparatus having a pipe exn tended therein delivering exhaust steam at various points in said apparatus for water heating` purposes, and to safeguard the ape paratus against any damage due to differential expansion of different portions of said steam delivery pipe.

More specifically, it is the object of the invention to deliver steam to a water heating apparatus through a pipe comprising aligned sections spaced for the delivery of steam to the apparatus, and to establish a connection between said sections that will resiliently yield to permit differential expansion of the sections, and thus avoid an undue strain upon said pipe and the portions of the apparatus to which the pipe is anchored.

Another object is to provide a storage tank for water which may if desired be associated with a water heater, and to provide an im proved mechanism for indicating a varying water level within said storage tank.

These and various other objects the invention attains by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation and partial section of the improved apparatus.

Figure 2 is a cross section view of the storage tank taken upon the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 1 primarily disclosing the resilient connection between sections of the steam delivery pipe.

-Figure 4 is a detail vertical section taken on line f l-l of Figure 2 and disclosing the mounting in the wall of the storage tank of a rock shaft forming a part of the water level indicator.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an end portion of said shaft and its mounting.

In these views the reference character 1 designates a cylindrical hot water storage tank, the side wall thereof being downwardly Serial No. 97,813.

extended below said tank to enclose an oil separator (not shown), the construction of which is no feature of the present invention. 3 designates a plurality of discharge pipes connecting with the lower portion of the tank 1 for conducting hot water to washing machines (not shown) or any desired point of use. Exhaust steam is delivered to the separator by the pipe l and discharges from said separator into a section of pipe 5 rising centrally through the tank 1.

Upon the tank 1 is mounted a combined water heater and purifier comprising a cylindrical casing 6 preferably of lesser diameter than the tank 1 and co-axial with said tank. vWater to be heated is delivered to the upper portion of the casing@ by a pipe 7 and is discharged in the central upper portion of the casing upon a spreader plate 8 of inverted dish-shape. Said plate is marginally spaced above a filter bed 9 which is in turn spaced above a similar filter bed 10. Water descends successively through said filter beds which, as will presently be explained, are heated by steam which is also delivered to the spaces above and below each filter bed. 11 and 12 designate sections of steam pipe passing axially through the respective filter beds and having their ends spaced from each other, as indicated at 13, to permit steam to flow into and out of the heating space 14 between said beds. The lower steam pipe section 12 has its lower end similarly spaced from the upperend of the pipe 5, which latter projects slightly above the 'storagel tank and into the casing 6. Within each of the spaces 13 there is preferably mounted a baffle plate 15 of inverted dish-shape, which serves both to deflect the rising exhaust steam into the heating spaces 14 and to sufficiently cover the upper ends of the exhaust pipe sections to prevent the descending water from entering said ends.

As a preferred means for connecting to each other the several sections 5, 11 and 12 of the steam delivery pipe, and for also mounting the baffle plates 15, a plurality of vertical bars 16 are welded Lor otherwise rigidly secured to the end portions of said pipe sections which bars project into'the steam outlet spaces 13 and are bolted to the baille plates 15 as indicated at 17. As a provision for differential expansion of the pipe sections 5, 11 and 12, a coiled spring 18 is mounted upon each bolt 17 between a nut 19 or other abutment on said bolt and the enlarged end portion 20 of the bar 16 secured by said bolt. These springs will permit the bars 16 carried b any of said ipe sections to seat against tg'e adjacent ba e plate (or plates) 15, when said section is subject .to a maximum expansion, and will permit said bars to Withdraw from said plate in proportion as the section contracts.

For the purpose of indicating varying Waslevelstin the `tank 1,;a gauge board 21 is yerftically extended adjacent to said tank and `is suitably marked to Aindicate the varying amolmts of water which the tank may contain. A cable 22 or other flexible member is connected at one end to a pointer 23 movable vertically adjacent said gauge board, said cable passing over sheaves 24 and being connected finally to an arm 25 upon the outer end y of a rock Shaft 26 which passes through the cylindrical Wall of the tank 1, and carries within .said tank an arm 27 having a float 28 `upon its free end..

U Because of the considerable capacity of the tank 1, it is requisite that the arm 27 have a suilicient length to adapt the float 28 for a considerable vertical travel. Ditliculty has heretofore been experienced in providing a suliicently long fioat arm without limitation of its proper travel through contact either `with the steam pipe 5 or with other parts disposed in the tank 1`which require no description herein. Thepresent invention avoids lany such difficulties primarily by extending the `rock shaft 26 through the cylindrical tank wall at an acute angle to said Wall so that the float arm 27 may extend within said tank in an'almost diametrical plane.

' Describing now in detail the mounting of the rock shaft 26, 29 indicates a sleeve which passes through the cylindrical wall of the tank 1-With its axis at an acute angle to said wall and extending substantially horizontal.y Said sleeve is welded or rigidly secured to said wail in any other suitable manner. Within said sleeve there is rigidly secured a tubular 30 withinwhich the shaft 26 is mounted'. Interior-ly of the tank 1 a bushing 31 inserted rigidly in said `casing provides a bearing for said shaft. The outerend of the shaft engages a bearing member 32 to whichV the outer end of the casing 30 is rigidly cons nected by a collar 32. 33 designates a pack- `)i'ngfivvhich is compressed around the shaft 26 by apacking nut 34 threaded into the outer endof said bearing. 35 designates a set collar secured by a screw 36 upon the shatt' adjacent to the nut 341:0 prevent longitudinal shifting of Said shaft.v

The described mounting adapts the rock shaft 26 to extend a suliicient distance out- Wardly from the tank l to ermit the arm 25 on the outer end of sai shaft to swing through any desired arc Without encountering the Wall of said tank. It is a further advantage of said mounting that the packing 33 ma be renewed when desired Without any distur ance of the predetermined angular relation between the arms 25 and 27. That is to say when the set collar 35 is loosened and slipped outwardly upon the shaft 26, suliicient clearance is afforded to the nut 34 to permit its complete removal from the bearing 32, and to allow access to the packing.

Said construction is further advantageous in that the arm 27 swings in a plane as nearly diametrical as is permitted by the exhaust pipe 5, thus allowing said arm a maximum length.

Vhile the described indicator mechanism is primarily designed for use in a hot Water tank for laundry use, it is evident that said mechanism can be used to advantage in any tank in which it is requisite to employ a float arm of maximum length, and to avoid interference of said arm with parts disposed Within the tank.

Vhat I claim is:

The combination with an upright cylindrical tank, of a journal bearing carried by the cylindrical Wall of said tank and forming with said Wall an angle not exceeding fortyive degrees, a rock shaft journaled in said bearing and projecting therefrom interiorly and exteriorly of the tank, a float arm mounted at one end upon said shaft and extending through a central portion of the tank and a ioat carried by said arm at its other end and adapted to travel adjacent to a side of the tank opposed to the side. to which said rock shaft is adjacent, and means carried by said shaft exteriorly of the tank for actuating an indicator.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

HENRY E. MOFFAT. 

